Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-08-27
rnE WORK OF FIENOs.
crrcI Crime Committed IN Oeh''"i
Illinois Thirty Years Ago

The number of crimes colnhlltlou III '"'
country ont Of what may Ice termed Pul'
c-rsssdnessn is astonishingly large ana III
clndss many murders, observes u Writer III
tbo New York EreRiHg Sun. The death VI
charles j. Walton, as mentioned III Nn
corn papers the other day, recalls Tue p"i
,icnIarS of a crime of thirty years NC
which made a great stir at the time, pu'
which can not now be ny IL
do,an nersons. At the time of the murder
Walton was n boy eleven years of age, n
in the employ Of a farmer named 'onn
Cartwright, in Central ILLINOIS, ohe
rainy day in the fall the two were sheilihs
beans in an old barn about hall nlle from
tho farm house. 1t had come TO be three
o'clock in the afternoon, when the farmer
using his knife to cut off a piece oil tobacco
let it slip through a crack in the moor
The hoy went out doors II crawl
cd under to secure it. IL was u
close squeeze for him, and he had NOT
vet reached the spot when he heard
three men enter the barn. The sound OF
their voices proved them strangers in tho
neighborhood. The spokesman said they
had come to see if the farmer had a morse
to sell. He replied that he had not, when
one of the men laughed and said:
"Come, old fellow, we don't want a
horse. We want to see you dance ana
hoar won si,gv
The farmer mist have realized that they
,,oart him harm. md he began to beg and
hn.oacb and otrer IN buv them off. He had
obout a dollar in change in his pocket, and
10 roro them this. together with a knife
al nina Tho trio had no sooner stripped
him th,p thev armed themselves with
snn,o switches used To drive the oxen and
nrocecded ia whin the poor man until his
scrcoms ssemed likely to be heard at the
highway. half n mile off. Young Walton
woe t,rrih|v friphtoned. and he explained
wby he did not 90 for helm by saving:
.tTbor. was M one Mt orr house but Mrs.
| Corrtwricbt. and no neirhbor nearer than
n mile md n half. AS it was raining, no
ono would be likely to be passing on the
road. And. too. there was such a lot of
rubbish under the barn that | could not
move without making n great noise, and |
felt that they would certainly hear me-"
When the farmer began to shout for help
tboy knocked him down and gagged him
with n handkerchief and then their devil
ish thirst for blood became more apparent.
One of them seized the farmers left hand
and coolly and deliberately broke every
| finger in succession. They pulled off his
| boots and applied lighted matches to tho
soles of his feet, and with their knives
creased the soles in every direction. They
at first seemed to delight in his violent
| s~trucgl, :, but finally used chains and ropes
| to tie him down.
"When they had kept up their torture
| for about half an hour" he said. "the gag
| came loose, and Mr.. Courtwright called
| out to them in the name of God to spare
| his life. He offered them $500 he had in
| the bank and a decd of his farm if they
| would let him 90. but they only Knocked
| him. Ono of them said it was the greatest
| sport he had had in twenty wears, and an
| other said he had always wanted TO sec
| how much a man could suffer before death
| came to relieve him, Most of the time
| thew had their victim gagged. so that
| could not hear his voice. eycept as he kent
I'm A moaning, but sometimes. when the
| gag was loosened. he cried and berped
| of them IN n wav to melt your boort.n
The cutting and slashino Of tho farmer
| did not satisfy the cruel nature of the tor
mentors. One of them had n muzale.load
| ing pistol. and he londed il with smnl'
| charges of powder. and fired them into TN,
| naked body Of Courtwripbt. Anothe,
| stuck his legs full Of splipters. These tw,
| latter modcs of punishment furnished tb,
clew Inv which the murderers w.re over
bapled. When thov had hoen nj tbcir in,
formal work for neorlv an bour thew hopo,
to tire of II. The farmer was in a dvinf
condition. and thcv finished him with !,
knife. The how heord every word an,
movement. and he soid.
81 hoard them toIk obort 6p;ebipr oh.
old fellow, off. md there wa. ouit, a dis
mite ms TO who should use tho knife. +
was fnoIlv decidod and the follow charm
nened the blade on his boot md thon hon
thrustipg md c~ouptino-ona two th,oo
and Gu on nm tn sixtoan md those we,,o IN.
numhor counted IN tba doad hod,, uo
living on NV stomoch on the pround ms
Hndar ~. nod, anJ ,hn ar tJaal y"
,hrorrh tbo croc,,s ON nv hnod nv,
.honI5ars ~ NY " CIV
A. SOON a., ,ho toto hal lee ua,
n.uL1 49,. a. a;ro ~ =, 49, ~ w.
nina o,clnck of nirht boforo ony oo,e;Jo.
nh,o nr,nhor ~ man had no.hnSo1 amn ~
nursnit wos toton IN Tba mo VI, wa,.
trocr.d tno ro;nt ,orth ~ po,in u,non
thev sto,o hors.s from n ee,d .md h"a1a
fnr Monmouth To ,ha north - .hot ,Iao
thsr s,olo a toom and mado snu .ho Nc
sissinri river onI tbora oi tron,s - ,ha,
war. iost II s.oms tbot thor s,o1. ahn,,
tv ho.t .nd stnn,od ~ " "n'
and Uar, Wv. h"aud - hnao w.
~ H.. mau,h -, .b. Iu;nate uA' ~ rh
,;od t,.ir hoot ,o a. nLnm.
, orornd tho oomn..m T., 'ao. !" Jun.
! ono niaht 49, ma9 u" y,
.nthin nV, " 'ncn' III III
man b,d a nistol ana ho G,a, h.n,, .. ~
rarror ora m,sood 7. aa ,h"u aIn ~ W
troma h;s anI .nVn NnocNe
1 ihN 81 uNBNu IiI 10 Nv IL VII ltt III